56 



BAGASSE. 



The disposition of the exhausted chips is a question of great economic 

 importance. Three uses appear to be possible : (1) For paper stock ; 

 (2) for manure ; (3) for fuel. 



A good article of both wrapping and print'paper can be made of the 

 fiber of the cane. The economic discussion of this use, however, can 

 only be properly given by a paper-maker. 



The value of the bagasse for a manure is undoubtedly great. This 

 problem has already been discussed in Bulletin No. 8, page 46. 



By referring to the table of analyses of the chips it will be seen that 

 with a small hand-mill 63.72 per cent, of water was extracted from the 

 exhausted chips; on the same mill the percentage of extraction of the 

 fresh chips was only 56.31 per cent. Thus in similar conditions the 

 percentage of extraction with a given mill will be 7.31 per cent, higher 

 for exhausted chips than for fresh canes. A mill, therefore, which will 

 give a 78 per cent, extraction with cane will give 85 per cent, with ex- 

 hausted chips. 



The exhausted chips contained 90 per cent, water. Of this quantity 

 63 72 per cent, were extracted, leaving 26.28 per cent, water to 10 fiber. 



A given quantity of the bagasse, therefore, contained 72.2 per cent, 

 water and 27.8 per cent, fiber. A mill which would give 80 per cent, 

 extraction with the exhaused chips would furnish a bagasse composed 

 of equal parts of water and fiber and this would prove a most excellent 

 fuel. 



The power required to drive such a mill would only be about one- 

 third as great as for the same weight of cane. 



The attempts to dry cane chips on the presses used for beet cuttings 

 have proved failures, but the experiments made at Fort Scott show 

 tl) at a properly arranged mill will solve this problem at once. 



It must be remembered, however, that even if the exhausted chips 

 be made as dry as ordinary mill bagasse they will not afford so much 

 fuel. They contain little but the fiber of the cane, while mill bagasse 

 still holds large quantities of sugar, which itself is a most excellent fuel. 



The loss of the bagasse as a fuel has been the principal objection to 

 the introduction of diffusion into tropical sugar districts. 



It now remains to continue these experiments at some favorable sta- 

 tion in Louisiana. Such a station should be provided with a first class 

 double or triple effect and other apparatus for evaporating the juice and 

 separating the sugar. 



It should also be a station purely experimental. The attempt to carry 

 on experiments and manufacture a large crop of cane at the same time 

 would only end in the disastrous manner, economically considered, of 

 the sorghum work just concluded at Fort Scott. 



These experiments can only be successful at a station where perfect 

 freedom of action and plenty of time are at the director's command. 



